Dubai Airport

Emirates carries hundreds of thousands of UK passengers every year, including from London Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow

A major airline has issued an announcement to customers after an update to its service. Emirates carries hundreds of thousands of passengers on UK services every year going through airports including London Heathrow, Gatwick, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow.

Using its 615-seater A380s the route from London Heathrow to Dubai alone offers more than one million seats. Now those travelling on the aircraft will be able to access internet connections, which the airline hails as “better than at home” following the completion of the first installation of next-generation Starlink Wi-Fi onboard.

Making the announcement on Monday afternoon, the airline said: “Emirates A380 was one of the first commercial aircraft in the world to offer internet to its customers, with first generation systems offering a total aircraft bandwidth of less than 1 Mbps. Emirates’ installation of three Starlink antennas on each A380 will improve the Wi-Fi available onboard a thousand-fold – offering a ‘better than at home’ connectivity experience for customers, while flying at 40,000 feet.”

The first Emirates A380 aircraft equipped with Starlink made its return to Dubai this week, after its installation and certification were accomplished in Newquay. More A380s are scheduled for accelerated installation throughout 2026 allowing passengers to stream, game, browse, and work throughout their journey on personal devices.

The service will be complimentary for all customers. The airline has future plans to add Live TV streaming over Starlink, initially on personal devices and later integrated into seatback screens.

Making the announcement on X, the airline said: “Our A380 is entering a new era with next-gen @Starlink Wi-Fi onboard. Ultra-fast, complimentary connectivity across all cabins, customers can stream, browse and stay connected seamlessly at 40,000 feet. A fully connected journey, redefined.”

And passengers were delighted to hear the news. One said: “Let’s go. The old system was under 1 Mbps.” Another added: “Please don’t ever ground this airplane.”

The “double-decker” Emirates Airbus A380 is the world’s largest passenger airliner. It is known for its onboard luxury including shower spas, onboard bars and lounge.

Dubai Airport has seen substantial flight disruption as British Airways announces it will halt all flights into Dubai until June as Iranian attacks on airports across the region continue

British Airways (BA) has cancelled all flights into Dubai until June as Iran continues its attacks on the UAE.

BA confirmed that flights to Amman, Bahrain, Dubai and Tel Aviv were now cancelled up to and including May 31, and flights to Doha were cancelled until April 30, the airline said in a new update.

“[The cancellations are] due to the continuing uncertainty of the situation in the Middle East and airspace instability, and to provide more clarity to our customers,” a BA spokesperson said.

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In 2025, Dubai International Airport was the world’s busiest airport for international passengers, accommodating nearly 90 million travellers.

December 2025 alone saw around 8.7 million passengers, the busiest single month in the airport’s history, The Express reports.

The airport connects travellers to 291 destinations across 110 countries.

The UK Foreign Office currently advises caution or against all but essential travel to the UAE and other Gulf states due to regional tensions.

Those already in the UAE are advised to follow local authorities’ instructions, register your presence with the UK government and be prepared for sudden changes in the security situation.

Despite Dubai being on the UK Foreign Office’s “No go” list, many travellers were still choosing to take the risk and fly there, Travel journalist Simon Calder told BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast programme.